Leicester manager Claude Puel explains absence of club record signing Islam Slimani
Friday 22 December 2017 16:37, UK
Claude Puel says he does not pick his Leicester starting XI based on a player's price tag, as club-record signing Islam Slimani remains on the sidelines.
The Algerian international, signed from Sporting Lisbon for £29m in August 2016, has not started for Leicester since the Carabao Cup fixture against Leeds in October and has not been included in the last five match-day squads.
Leicester host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports Premier League, and Jamie Vardy is expected to lead the hosts' attack, with Shinji Okazaki and Kalechi Iheanacho also ahead of Slimani in the pecking order.
"I don't put my team in place based on the price of the player. We have said before we have a lot of players in the same position and with different profiles but we have (only) one or two places in the team," Puel said on Friday.
"We have six possibilities - I understand it is difficult for some players to find good game time and I understand their frustration."
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When asked whether Puel, who has led his club to four Premier League victories from their past five games, had spoken to Slimani, Puel added: "I spoke with Slim. He worked in training a lot, with a good attitude, positive attitude, which is the most important thing."
Vardy has scored eight goals in all competitions this season and Puel is desperate to keep the England striker free from injury.
The 30-year-old has a good record against the top six with 41 per cent of his goals coming against the Premier League's top six clubs since the 2014/15 season.
By contrast, his opposite number on Saturday, Romelu Lukaku, has only scored eight per cent of his goals against the same clubs.
"I have to put him in the squad! Jamie likes these games (against the top six)," Puel added.
"That is why it is important to keep him in good fitness, and give him some rest. He is a very important player for us. I would like to keep him fit because we cannot lose him."
When asked who was the better striker out of Vardy and Lukaku, Puel said: "I must say Jamie, of course! But they are both fantastic players, with different profiles. Perhaps I would like to have both in my team!"
Puel, who saw his side narrowly lose on penalties to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, has said that Vardy is the club's penalty taker after Riyad Mahrez missed his sixth penalty in 15 games during the penalty shoot-out.
"Normally it is Jamie who kicks the penalty but I think it's just a feeling in the game, to see the opportunity or not to score. We've got to work on this in the training session with Riyad."
